Lesbians in Canadian Media, 1950-19701
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
"Deviance, Inversion and Unnatural Love:" Lesbians in Canadian Media, 1950-19701 Kathryn Campbell ABSTRACT This article examines the representation of lesbians in English Canadian print media in the 1950s and 1960s. The author discusses the increase in media attention towards homosexuality in the 1950s, and explores the portrayal of lesbians in these early articles in relation to the prevailing gender ideologies of the period. RESUME Cet article etudie la facon dont les lesbiennes on ete representees dans la presse canadienne-anglaise des annees 50 et 60. L'auteure discute de I'interet grandissant des medias envers I'homosexualite dans les annees 50 et explore le portrait qu'on a fait des lesbiennes dans ces premiers articles en faisant le lien avec les ideologies genderistes de I'epoque. "THE LOVE THAT DARES NOT SPEAK controversial, particularly those related to women ITS NAME" (Kinsman 114). Gary Kinsman has argued that Kinsey's studies were the first widespread challenge Prior to 1950, there was a virtual silence on the to heterosexism, and that they had a large influence subject of homosexuality in North American media. on Canadian popular literature on homosexuals Although there were occasional vague references to throughout the 1950s and 1960s. One of the most effeminate male actors and artists, homosexuality important results of Kinsey's work was that it was considered too immoral to be mentioned in the "demonstrated that homosexual activity was media, and some newspapers and television stations widespread in the American population" (Bullough even had explicit policies banning the subject. 176-77). The Kinsey studies also demonstrate an Around 1950, this silence gradually began to increasing interest in sex as a subject for popular be broken. There are a number of reasons for this and media discussion. increase in media attention. First, public discussion Another factor contributing to the increase in of sexuality in general began to increase in this the media visibility of lesbians and gay men in the period. The Kinsey report on male sexuality was 1950s was the growth of lesbian and gay published in 1948, followed by the companion communities in major urban centres. During World study of female sexuality in 1953. These books, and War Two, many people acquired independence others such as Frank Caprio's Female through leaving their families and gaining paid Homosexuality, published in 1954, as well as the employment. Many lesbians and gay men met other Wolfenden Report released by the British homosexuals through military service and factory government in 1954, attracted media attention and work. Historians Alan Berube (1990, 256) and created some public debate on the issue of Donna Penn (1994, 364) have argued that the homosexuality (Kinsman 139-143). Historian Vern independence from families and the opportunity to Bullough has written that, "[fjhough the general live with other women during World War Two public accepted the importance of the [Kinsey] made it easier for some women to live as study," it received a great deal of criticism in homosexuals. Gay communities had existed in academic circles (180). Kinsey's statistics on the cities prior to the 1950s, but there was a rapid frequency of homosexual activity were highly growth in homosexual bar culture and social networks at this time (Kinsman 144). The growth of however, very difficult to determine what impact urban lesbian and gay communities in this post-war these articles had. For many people, these popular era led to increased social visibility, which in turn media articles were their first and only source of led to both increased media attention and increased information about homosexuality. As Gary persecution (Davis and Kennedy 69). Because gays Kinsman notes, "[ujntil recently, people rarely and lesbians were more visible than ever before, encountered visible gays or lesbians. All images they began to be perceived as a threat by society, were those projected by the media and those media and government agencies. These fears about circulating in the popular culture"(29). And as the perceived spread of homosexuality led to an media theorist Marguerite Moritz has argued, increase in violence against lesbians and gays, "[w]hen the news media...represent a topic with usually in the form of street bashings, increased which the mass audience may have little personal harassment and persecution of lesbians and gays by experience, and homosexuality is no doubt in that the police and government, and an increase in category, the message is particularly potent" (157). media articles denouncing homosexuality (Kinsman 2 145-146). HOMOSEXUALITY AS A "SOCIAL The majority of the newspaper and magazine PROBLEM" articles about homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s referred solely to gay men. Lesbians were The majority of mainstream media articles rarely mentioned, and the term "homosexual," when from the 1950s and 1960s identified homosexuality used in media articles in this period, refers as a "threat" or "social problem." In addition, primarily to men, thus reinforcing the social almost all journalists unquestioningly accepted invisibility of lesbians in this period. When medical explanations of homosexuality, which journalists did refer to lesbians, they would defined homosexuality as an illness or disease. This generally use the term "women homosexuals," or medical model, which developed during the 1920s occasionally "lesbians," although this word was not and 1930s, had become the dominant ideology in commonly used even by lesbians until the mid to academic and popular literature on the subject of late 1960s. The term "heterosexual" is also homosexuality by the 1950s (Khayatt 22). Many of uncommon in these articles. Generally, the word these articles conveyed the notion that "normal" is used to refer to heterosexuality homosexuality was rapidly increasing or References to bisexuality were also very rare in "spreading." Because homosexuality was usually articles from this period. The only references to viewed as a disease, many journalists made bisexuality, as we understand it today, are in comparisons to plagues and contagious illnesses, relation to someone with both masculine and particularly sexually transmitted diseases. For feminine characteristics, or to homosexuals, example, this passage is taken from an article particularly femme lesbians, who have been published in 1951 in the magazine Canadian Home "cured," or become heterosexual. Even in these Journal, entitled, "The Problem That is Never cases, the individual is generally not defined as Mentioned:" bisexual. Rather, the woman is seen as essentially heterosexual or "normal," but as having been weak, ...although lesbianism is a very different lacking in judgement, or seduced by a "real" matter from venereal disease, there is the same lesbian. need to have more than a vague and horrified Although there were only a handful of articles notion of what it is if we are to understand and on homosexuality published during this period, they help to solve the social problem it presents. were extremely significant. These articles from the (Cameron 12) 1950s and 1960s were among the first explicit public discussions of homosexuality and lesbianism Because homosexuality was perceived as a mental in Canadian media, and undoubtedly influenced illness or a disease, it was considered to be curable. how the public viewed gay men and lesbians. It is, Thus, the popular literature on homosexuality primarily focussed on finding causes and men, the institution of the family, or the postulating possible methods of prevention, and socialization of children. treatment. Finally, as Didi Khayatt has argued: Although lesbians were considered to be "deviant," "abnormal," and "morally diseased," the ...another plausible speculation [for the so-called "homosexual problem," as constructed by invisibility of lesbians] is that men's interest in the media, referred primarily to male women's sexual behavior is frequently limited homosexuality. While lesbians were reviled in the to regulating it to ensure legitimate heirs, to media, they were not considered to be as dangerous control their access to women's sexuality and to society as gay men, and thus received less media labor, and to maximize their own pleasure. attention. Gary Kinsman notes that lesbians were Laws and customs reflect the central position given less media attention partly because, unlike men have reserved for themselves, particularly male homosexuals, their activities were not illegal, in sexual matters. (13) and thus there were no arrests or court cases to report (17). Certainly, lesbians were rarely arrested BUTCHES, FEMMES, AND "GENDER for "indecency" or public sex acts as gay men were. INVERTS" Other reasons for the invisibility of lesbians in the media compared to gay men include the invisibility Although the "social problem" of of women in the media overall, and the popular homosexuality, as presented in the media, was notion that women are basically emotional rather attributed mostly to gay men, journalists also than sexual and thus have no sexuality at all considered lesbians and lesbianism itself to be without men. In a 1966 Chatelaine article, an potentially dangerous. In particular, butch lesbians "expert" is quoted as saying that for lesbians, "U]ust were frequently depicted as sexual predators who as with other women, the emotional-supportive would corrupt "innocent" heterosexual women. A relationship counts more than the sex act" (Wilson news article published